


The Favor

by garbage_dono



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Post-Black Eagles Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:28:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21908215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garbage_dono/pseuds/garbage_dono
Summary: On her wedding day, Edelgard has an important favor to ask her oldest friend.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg & Hubert von Vestra, Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth (Mentioned), Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra (mentioned)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 253





	The Favor

**Author's Note:**

> Pure character study as an excuse for me to play around with Edelgard and Hubert's friendship because I WANT THEM TO BE ACTUAL FRIENDS DAMMIT LET HUBERT HAVE FRIENDS. _LET HIM BE SOFT_

Hubert’s knuckles rapped sharply against the wooden door. “Your Majesty,” he called, “You called for me?”

Edelgard didn’t answer for a moment or two, instead drawing a slow breath as she looked at herself in the mirror, her hands folded before her. The sight of herself, draped in silver fabric almost the color of her own hair, made her heart skip in her chest, and she closed her eyes. “Yes. Come in.”

She prayed her voice didn’t waver as much as she felt it had.

The door opened slowly, closing only a few seconds later after Hubert slid in almost silently. She opened her eyes again and caught his in the mirror, managing a smile. “I know you must be busy with your own preparations, Hubert. I appreciate you taking a moment away from all of that.”

“Of course,” he said without hesitation. “And if I may say so, Your Majesty…you look radiant.”

Edelgard turned to face him. “I didn’t ask for you to come here to shower me with compliments.”

“Then what is it that you need of me? Name it, and I’ll see it done.”

The smile fled from Edelgard’s face, her stomach clenching until she could barely breathe. She wasn’t used to feeling this way. It was foreign, almost unnatural to her. For so long, she hadn’t been able to _indulge_ in such things – so many things. These silver robes being among them. She’d never thought she would see the day.

And here she was, fretting like a little girl. A grown woman – an emperor – on her wedding day, and she could barely think straight.

“Your Majesty,” Hubert pressed, almost reverently. “Is something wrong?”

“I need a favor,” she answered. “Well, two favors really.”

He bowed low, cape draping over his shoulder as he did, just barley brushing the floor. “Anything, of course.”

“The first may be the most difficult for you-“ She laughed at the way he quirked an eyebrow as he straightened again. “But it may be the most important of the two. For our whole lives, you’ve served me so loyally, but…Hubert, it’s no secret that I consider you one of my closest friends.”

“If it pleases you to consider me as such, I would happily say the same.”

“But that’s just it, is it not? If it pleases me…shouldn’t a friendship go both ways? On equal footing?”

“With respect, Your Majesty, we are hardly equals. You are, and will always be, my emperor. That is the way it should be, though would eagerly serve as a confidant and companion where I’m needed-“

Edelgard couldn’t help it – she groaned as she reached for his hand, taking it in her gloved ones and watching his eyes dart down to start at it. “Like it or not, you are my friend, Hubert. My advisor, my second in command, my retainer…but also my friend. And on a day like today, I…I want you to be only that. Nothing more and nothing less.”

“Your Majesty…”

She shot him a warm smile. “You can start with the first favor…calling me by my name. No titles. Simply my name.”

“Lady Edelgard-“

“ _Hubert._ ”

He blinked at her, rare surprise written across his features. He hesitated just a moment, then- “If you wish…Edelgard.”

It still seemed strange to him, his brow knitting as he said it. She couldn’t help but laugh, squeezing his hand before letting it go. “Thank you, my friend.”

“Is that all you needed?” he asked her. “You said there were two favors you wanted to ask of me.”

Her chest tightened again as she turned toward the mirror, looking at herself once more, this time with Hubert gazing over her shoulder. “As my friend, I suppose I was hoping to…to confide in you. Just for a moment.” She hung her head. “I’m ashamed to say that I’m more nervous than I ever imagined I would be.”

“Nervous?”

“Do you think that’s ridiculous of me? I’m happy. So very happy. It feels like it could burst out of my chest any second, but at the same time I’m so-“ She whirled around to look at him again, robes flaring out around her ankles. “On your wedding day, did you feel like this? This needling feeling of anxiety twisting inside? I’ve pushed down so much. I’ve cast aside anger and pain and terror so many times before, but this damn feeling seems intent to triumph over me anyway.”

Hubert stared at her for a long moment, and then-

Laughed.

He _laughed._

It was nothing more than a chuckle, deep in his chest, his finger resting against his chin as she looked up at him again. “Forgive me,” he said. “It’s not often that I think about it, how I felt on my own wedding day.”

“You don’t think about it?”

“Truthfully, no. Don’t misunderstand, I was…as you said, happy. It was not a day that I’m likely to forget. But it’s…small, in comparison. In the end, it’s merely a day, like any other. And it changes surprisingly little.”

Edelgard blinked, mulling it over. Strange as they were, his words made a good amount of sense. He and Ferdinand had changed little after their wedding day. Public displays of affection were still few and far between, bickering was still common, and their respect for each other still ran just as deep.

Perhaps that was all she could ask for herself. For things to…remain as they were. In the morning she would wake up the same woman she had always been. Simply a married one.

A married woman.

How strange to consider.

She clasped her hands before her, almost like a prayer. How ironic, she thought, that she looked like she was _praying_ for guidance when she caught a glimpse of her reflection. “I love her,” she admitted, as if it had been a secret.

“And that frightens you?” Hubert asked.

“Nothing frightens me. At least I _thought_ that much was true.”

A moment later, she felt it – so light that she barely realized it. A warm presence against her shoulder, firm and comforting. A gloved hand. Hubert’s. “Your Ma-“ He pursed his lips, as if inwardly chiding himself. “Edelgard. In this, as in all things, you will do marvelously.”

Edelgard’s eyes misted over, but she forced the tears back with a smile. “You’re doing well with the first favor I asked of you. There’s still the matter of the second though.”

He pulled his hand away again, clasping it with his other behind his back. “Name it, then.”

“I hope you won’t think me ridiculous for asking this, but…Well, I had every intention of making my way down the aisle alone.” Hubert stiffened, a tiny gasp – almost inaudible – tripping over his lips. Ah, so he knew where she was going, as always. “It only seemed fitting, after casting off so much, to do the same to the tradition that dictates I must be _given_ away like some prize. But we have walked the same path for so long, you and I. My friend…”

“Lady Edelgard, I…”

Back to his old habits. Well, she supposed they were hard to shake off. “Hubert…would you-“

“You can’t possibly be asking me to…to…”

It was so rare that she saw him stutter, and even rarer to see emotion flashing across his eyes. He was so often a stone wall – unshakable, unflappable, untouchable. It was what she had relied on for most of her life. And yet now it seemed a simple question from her had shaken him to his core.

Well, she had felt thoroughly shaken by the day, in ways she had never expected. Perhaps it was fitting.

“I am,” she said, and she knew that if she spoke the question aloud, he would never refuse. “Hubert, would you…would you walk with me? During the ceremony? I wouldn’t be here without you. I don’t _want_ to be here without you. I…please, my friend. Do this for me.”

For a moment – just the shortest of moments – she swore she saw tears in his eyes. But they were gone a second later, as if a trick of the light.

“I’m hardly worthy of such an honor. But yes, Lady Edelgard. I will do this for you.”

“Do this _with_ me,” she corrected. “For goodness’ sake-“

“Be gentle with me, I beg of you. I can only handle so much.”

That made her laugh, loosening the knot in her belly just a bit. “I would have done the same for you if you’d asked me. But I admit it I had enough trouble as it was keeping my eyes dry – I probably would have embarrassed you.”

“Ferdinand made enough of a spectacle of himself sobbing his way through his damn vows that I doubt anyone would have given you a second thought.”

“His vows were lovely, as were yours.” She turned toward her desk, opening the drawer and drawing out the papers she had so carefully creased and sealed once she’d finished filling them with neat script. “Speaking of which…do you think you could suffer me one last favor? I think I’d like to practice mine one last time before it’s time to begin.”

“I’m certain that whatever you’ve written is nothing short of perfect,” Hubert said. “And all things considered, you could likely spout nothing but gibberish and our dear old professor would still marry you in a heartbeat.”

“Do you think so?”

“I’m certain.”

There was something comforting about that. How certain he was.

“Well then,” she said as she held the paper in front of her – deeply creased and worn from her folding and re-folding and reading and re-reading it nearly every day for the past fortnight. “You know I’ve always valued your input when it comes to writing letters and speeches, so if you have any suggestions I’d be happy to hear them.”

“For what it’s worth, my friend," he said with a small smile, making Edelgard's heart leap in her chest, "I’m certain I won’t need to offer a thing.”


End file.
